Chess Tactics Training - This Sucks!
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Oh well…yesterday was the first day of my 7 Circles Of Tactics Training, and guess what - I missed it!
Thanks to the myriads of clients that flocked to me yesterday. I’m now $105 richer. Hahaha. But I definitely need to find a way to go through these tactical exercises no matter what happens.
“Whether you’re sick or on a tournament, you should practice tactics everyday.” Easier said than done Mr. De La Maza (Author Of Rapid Chess Improvement).
But that’s something I need to carve at the back of my head if I’m going to succeed at finishing these dreaded and intense 7 Circles Of Chess Tactics.
TheWanderingPen
Chess Tactics Training – The INTENSE 7 Circles Of Chess Tactics Training
Alright folks, it’s about time I start training in Tactics. After all, what is the point of seeing and being so aware of all the positional nuances and subtleties in a chess position if you can’t see chess tactics and combinations that often decides a game between players especially in the club or amateur level?
I decided to give the 7 Circles Of Tactics Training another shot. Hopefully, I get to finish it all the way to seventh Cycle this time. Here’s the schedule for the first 64-day cycle…
First Cycle Of The 7 Circles Of Chess Tactics Training
Week 1 - June 08 to June 14
Week 2 - June 15 to June 21
Week 3 - June 22 to June 28
Week 4 - June 29 to July 05
Week 5 - July 06 to July 12
Week 6 - July 13 to July 19
Week 7 - July 20 to July 26
Week 8 - July 27 to August 2
Week 9 - August 3 to August 10 – to complete the 64 days
Number Of Chess Tactics Exercises To Complete
Week 1 – 235 Exercises
Week 2 – 210 Exercises
Week 3 – 175 Exercises
Week 4 – 145 Exercises
Week 5 – 116 Exercises
Week 6 – 110 Exercises
Week 7 – 095 Exercises
Week 8 – 075 Exercises
Week 9 – 060 Exercises
That’s a whopping total of 1221 chess tactics exercises! Just imagine trying to do that in one day…Well, that’s still about 5 months away, but that’s definitely something I should gear up for. That would take me 8 grueling hours to finish.
However, I’m pretty sure that combining this with regularly training with the Silman Thinking Technique PLUS playing long games on a consistent basis will lead not just to enlarged tactical muscles BUT to greater chess playing strength in general…having the ability to know what EXACTLY to do whether the board is on fire with myriads of tactical possibilities for both sides or if the position requires a lot of maneuvering and positional play.
Will I reach the 2100 ELO mark within 5 months? I don’t think so. But I’d bet that I’d be strong enough to whoop the asses of the local chess hustlers and players here in our area whether in blitz games or slower and longer games.
May the goddess Caissa help me!
Materials To Use –
Alright, after checking my tactics databases, which are created mostly by the famous George Renko, I finally settled for Killer Moves. It has a total of 9 databases and the tactical exercises in it are increasing in difficulty.
However, since I’m only going to take on 1221 tactics exercises, I will only use – 3 intermediate-level databases, 2 of the 4 advanced-level databases, and 2 master level databases. I’ve taken a peek at the master level exercises, and dang! They really are difficult. They’re not called master-level exercises for nothing heh!
What’s After The 7 Circles Of Chess Tactics Exercises?
Well, I’m not so sure, BUT I definitely don’t want to go through another 7 cycles just yet! Maybe I’ll learn an opening or two? Study games of Alekhine, Tal, and other great chess tacticians? Play more long games? Take a week rest?
Well, there are a lot of attractive options but I definitely want to test how far my chess-playing skills have gone after this intense training that I’ll start tomorrow. Well, if I have the money for it, I’ll put it against the acid test at the World Chess Open! Hehehe.
My NEW Chess Improvement And Training Plan
Hmmm…so what do I have in my hard-drive that I could use for chess improvement and training?
- 83 heavily annotated games analyzed by FMs and IMs.
- George Renko’s famous tactics training ChessBase databases
a. Intensive Tactics Course 1
b. Intensive Tactics Course 2
c. Killer Moves
d. Deadly Threats
So how am I going to train with these? How do I get the most out of them? Here’s the plan that I came up with –
a. On All Days Of The Week – Exercise my tactical eye using Renko’s tactics training databases. However, I’m planning to study in a certain way…I would use Michael De La Maza’s “7 Circles Of Chess Tactics” method.
To those of you who are familiar with it, I’m sure you’ve noticed chess masters trashing this method of training tactics. But I think, coupled with a good chess training and improvement plan, it can bring tremendous benefits. Although, this method of training is really I-N-T-E-N-S-E! A lot of motivation is needed to complete the 7 Circles.
If you’re not familiar with it, the “7 Circles Of Tactics” involves going through about 1000 tactical exercises 7 times. The first cycle would take about 32 days, the second cycle would take 16 days, for the third one – 8 days…and all the way down to the seventh cycle where you MUST answer all 1000+ exercises in one day!
I’ve given this system for training tactics a shot a couple of years back, but I never got to finish all 7 cycles. Thanks to my J-O-B. I believe I was able to finish only the first 3-4 circles. However, I have noticed a significant leap in my ability to spot tactics over the board.
But now that I’m working as a freelance writer, which gives me more spare time, I’m confident I can finish all 7 cycles.
b. Study A Master Game From Monday – Friday – IMHO, just playing games and reading the annotations isn’t enough. I think it’s too passive to help you increase your playing strength in a short period of time.
In light of that, here’s what I’ll do with the annotated master games – First, find the raw game scores. Predict the moves after the opening phase and write my own analysis and notes to the game. Only then will I consult and read the in-depth annotations provided by the IMs and FMs who analyzed the game.
I think the benefits from this method of studying master games are enormous – first, it helps me exercise my chess thinking strategy, not to mention it gives me a sneak peek to how master’s think.
c. During Weekends Play 3-4 Games Against Stronger Players On G/60 Time Controls – Alright, this facet of my chess improvement plan will put the things I’ve learned throughout the week to the acid test – bringing them all together in an over-the-board game.
Of course, these games should be analyzed right after they are played and my thoughts during the game should also be noted.
And I think that’s about it. Not a lot, but I think, coupled with playing games with stronger chess players at G/60 at least, these should be enough for now. I’m planning to get IM Silman’s books –
- Re-Asses Your Chess Workbook
- How To Re-Asses Your Chess
- Inside The Amateur’s Mind
…when I have enough dough.
Yeah, I’m a huge fan of Silman and many other club players are. And when you give his books a try, I’m sure you will be, too! As for the opening phase, which is my ‘Achilles Heels’, I’m planning to grab 3 ChessBase trainers authored by another favorite chess writer and trainer of mine – GM Nigel Davies.
The King’s Indian Attack – I’m not the one to memorize reams and reams of theory! The White setup – e4, d3, Nf3, Nd2, g3, and Bg2, has been successfully used both by masters and amateurs. It’s a very good weapon especially against the French Defense.
This will give me more time to spend on other aspects of chess training and improvement.
1.e4 For The Creative Attacker – Another White opening CD. Well, sadly, the King’s Indian Attack can’t be used against 1…e5 and the Scandinavian Defense. This should be covered by this ChessBase trainer. And I think it’s a good idea to have a backup opening repertoire just in case I grow tired and bored with the KIA.
1…d6 Universal - I’m yet to read a review of this ChessBase trainer. But as I’ve said, I want something that’s universal and can be relied on almost all the time in the opening phase. I have a hunch that this is going a great CD. After all, GM Davies is one of England’s leading exponents of 1…d6 and other related openings like the Pirc and Modern Defense.
Chess Tactics Training – How?
“Your first name is tactics, your middlename is tactics, and your last name is tactics!”
- FM Ken Smith
There’s no doubt about it – if you’re a class level player, you’re better off studying different tactical motifs and combinations rather than reading through reams of opening and endgame theory.
Now I’m not saying that these facets of chess are not important…they are! It’s just that in club level chess - he who sees tactics and combinations better has the upper hand. The question is – how do you train your tactical eye?
I think there are 3 effective methods for training tactics –
Method 1
First on our list is the conventional way of training tactics – going through tactical exercises repetitively and constantly. But there is another question that branches out of this – what type of tactical exercises should one study?
Are we looking at simple 3-4 movers? Or should one focus on complex tactical exercises that span 10 or even a dozen moves?
Unfortunately, there’s no unified answer. Some like NM Dan Heisman stresses the importance of focusing on basic and simple tactical patterns, which are the building blocks of more complex tactics.
On the other hand, there are some like Michael De La Maza, the originator of ‘7 Circles Of Tactics’…a method for studying tactics, thinks that covering and studying both simple and complex tactical exercises.
Method 2
If you don’t know how to incorporate your newly acquired tactical knowledge and skill into your chess games, then it’s useless. The next method is more of like an extension of the first one…allowing you to exercise and use your tactical vision in real over-the-board games.
Play moves and openings that create tactical opportunities!
Matter of fact, it’s advocated that amateurs and club-level players play gambits. This definitely helps in creating tactical situations on the board where one should be alert all the time. Of course, you should analyze your games afterwards to get the most out of it.
Method 3
Last but not the least; one needs to study games of great attacking and tactical masters like Tal, Kasparov, Alekhine, etc. Personally, I love looking at games of old masters like Anderssen, Morphy, Steinitz, Spielmann, and others.
True, the defensive technique back then may not be as good as it is today, and these games may be riddled with errors. However, what I like about studying these games of old masters is that the strategy and tactics they employ are clearly seen.
How should one go about studying these tactical gems?
In my opinion, just playing through the games and reading the annotations isn’t enough. Instead, I gather the raw game scores, cover and predict the moves…think how I would think in a real game, and write down my analysis.
Only after going through the game with the steps outlined above will I consult the master’s annotations and notes.
My Chess Training Schedule And Plan
My playing strength has declined significantly…unfortunately. Not that I am of GM strength back then. Hahaha!
But it sucks to see that I’m missing simple mates and tactics and I always find myself on the receiving end of a blistering attack. I think it’s about time renew my love for chess and start training again.
First and foremost, I will sharpen these rusty tactical eyes first. Here’s what I’m planning…
- Avoid playing blitz chess until I get my previous shape back
- Play at least 2 long games (at least 60 mins/player per game) a week and study and annotate them. I’m planning to post my games here for you guys to scrutinize.
- Play through and annotate 3 master games move by move. Just like the former, I would post my analysis on ChessVip.
- Follow the 7 circles of tactics by DelaMaza. I’m sure you guys know this.
- Adopt the Silman Thinking Plan (time to get that book again - ReAsses Your Chess)
As for the openings, I’m planning to stick with Davies’ Gambiteer 1 for white. As for black, hmmm…I’m still thinking what openings to play as Black. I would really appreaciate your suggestions.
It’s gonna be a long and tough road back to chess…but an exciting and action-packed one nonetheless.
